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THE LIST OF THINGS TO SEE and do at Biltmore House and Gardens is extensive, and all of it worthwhile. Combining magnificent architecture, glorious landscapes, and worldly seclusion, there is nothing quite like it on the east coast, perhaps in the country. Which also means that it’s not a matter of whether you should...Read »

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH (hey, that rhymes with the name of my column)! Anyway, as I’ve been telling Goodie—and he even agrees with some of my ideas—I’ve been thinking about all this stuff for a long time and it’s time to just say it. Things don’t seem to be getting better, so I might as well. Now don’t...Read »

COLEMAN BOULEVARD is getting downright urban. You can almost forget that you are a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean—until you cross tiny Shem Creek bridge and glance to the south; to the docks and boats and sliver of water leading to Fort Sumter in the distance. That brief view is a treat for the eyes any time of...Read »

This is a startlingly insightful book about money, our relationship to money, and how money affects our relationship to our selves and with each other. Charles Einstein is the author of Sacred Economics, which traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to...Read »

MY DEAR HATTIE likes to fasten onto a problem, go on a rant, and steam like a kettle even though she knows it won’t do much good. Nothing seems to change much just by complaining, does it? Sure, sometimes anger pricks our conscience. Makes us stand up and look a situation more square in...Read »

YES, THE SOUTHERN SEASON STORE off Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant is gorgeous and compelling. From the high-end deli, full bakery, and coffee bar to the superb wine selection, scrumptious chocolates, fabulous candies (for kids, too), and all the gourmet kitchen gadgets. And in case you haven’t noticed, the greeting cards are the best...Read »

DIETER RAMS is the lengendary designer of Braun products. He revolutionized modern design and is the primary inspiration for Apple’s chief designer, Jonathan Ive. In the video below, Rams talks about design. Listed beneath are his 10 principles of good design—an endless source of nourishment for artists in every field. “I think that good...Read »

GEEZ… when are people gonna figure it out? Isn’t it obvious that paper and plastic wrappers are a concert’s worst enemy? — though recording poles and paraphernalia—which are ugly and block our view—are starting to make a strong case. But it’s the noisemakers that really gotta go. And that includes the people making it!...Read »

WANT A REAL CULTURAL EXPERIENCE? Then get away to another world in 20 minutes. Enjoy the million dollar view, the river and wildlife, and the sunset. Oh yes, and the fantastic seafood at a more than reasonable price. Bowens Island, way down Folly Road and now back in business after a devastating fire, is...Read »

IT IS SUMMER when we allow ourselves to slow down and reflect on our personal map with the ‘You Are Here’ designation. There is a slight promise of fall, but it is the open window of time where we can meditate on the here and now. We can see more clearly through our magnifying...Read »

VISITING AN ART GALLERY is almost always a visit to the past; to representations of people, places, and relics of days gone by. It’s not that you go to see the past for its own sake. You go to see the art as art. But sometimes you go deeper. Without really trying, you can...Read »

AS YOU MOVE ALONG the crowded sidewalks and long metro corridors of St. Petersburg, you see primarily working and lower-class faces. Upper-class folks are in their new cars roaring at high speed down the busy streets along with young “new rich” on stylish motorcycles (driving scary fast). Meanwhile, the middle class hardly exists in...Read »

STEPPING OUT of our flat in the center of downtown St. Petersburg is like a couple of blood cells entering the heart. There is a surge of energy as we look up at the massive cathedral across the street and get swept into a rush of pedestrians. Within seconds, we join the nimble dance...Read »

AROUND EVERY OTHER CORNER is evidence of St. Petersburg being refurbished and restored. A good example is the churches, many of which were used as storehouses during the soviet era. Lenin had adopted from Marx the idea that “religion is the opium of the masses.” He wanted Russians to honor the red flag of...Read »

GOING TO the public produce market in St. Petersburg is like going to war. Well, not exactly. Only in the sense that someone always gets defeated and everyone ends up exhausted. Behind the displays of vibrant, today-fresh vegetables, stand working-class women, each commandeering their battalions of produce, each vying for your business. The men...Read »

MOST VISITORS to St. Petersburg go to the Hermitage, and rightly so. It houses one of the world’s most large, if not largest, art collection in a former czar’s palace (the Winter Palace) where the Revolution of 1917 was staged, and where each room boasts a unique parquet floor, wall paneling, molding, and window...Read »

ON STREET AFTER STREET and building after building, majestic facades reflect their pastel colors in the long summer sun. It’s “white nights” in St. Petersburg, Russia where we are spending the month of June and where the sun barely sets. This picture of a row of former palaces was taken at 9:30 PM just...Read »

TEMPORARY BECAUSE you can eat it—which you will do… quickly. We’re talking fresh pastries, baguettes, and macaroons made daily by a superior French pastry chef at the new Macaroon Boutique on John Street. The front door is usually open, delectable pastries loom on open shelves, enchanting co-owner Fabienne is at the cashier, and maestro...Read »

JOCELYN NUGENT’S PHILOSOPHY about fitness is best described as “balance within the body.” Balance between tension and release, effort and ease, movement and control—all through a holistic approach and positive environment that makes exercise more enjoyable. A former dancer, Jocelyn opened Praxis Balanced Body Studio in 1996. It was the first East-of-the-Cooper studio to...Read »

THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR of the College of Charleston’s study abroad program with the Russian Department. This time they’re headed to St. Petersburg, home of the Hermitage and some of the most fabulous palaces in the world. Even if you are not a CofC student, you’ll enjoy this slide show that takes you...Read »

I know. They’re there when we really need them, thank the good Lord. But something’s gotta change. Fact is, we don’t need health care reform. We need health cost reform and health administration reform. First you get hit with big charges that are only hinted at prior to the “procedure.” Then all that mystifying...Read »

Why don’t restaurants get it? If you’re gonna do one thing right, then at least do coffee right. Put a little more in the darn filter each time. Pay a little—just a little—more for some decent beans. And, please, enough of those thick mugs I can barely get my old lips around. I know...Read »

NOBODY LIKES TO GO to the doctor. And it’s no accident that we all say, I’m going to the doctor, because it’s the same everywhere. There are exceptions, but they’re easily forgotten in the maze of mediocrity. How did this happen? Who started the trend of office assistants being surly, nurses seeming matter-of-fact, and...Read »

It’s a nice (for fast food) place. Clean, attractive, good chicken sandwiches, fun desserts, and an indoor playground for my grandsons. But they better be careful before they go the way of McDonalds, as in fries—waffle fries no less—that taste a little stale. But my bigger concern is those itty-biddy packages of catsup (and...Read »

Thank you all (you know who you are) for your empathetic notes in response to Hattie’s last diatribe. No, it was not easy coming down from my “appliance” experience with Sears and Best Buy, but I’ve recovered and even had a little brain storm. What I’m thinking now is that we customers ought to...Read »

Sears and Best Buy are up to their devil-in-the-details shenanigans again. They still think that boondoggling customers is good business: “pull ’em in the door with a lure and then… ‘wham’… you got ‘em.” How can they not realize by now that it is no more than a cheap tactic that turns customers off?...Read »

I’m almost taking them for granted—almost. Except there’s this one bump, particularly in the left lane, about a quarter mile after you turn onto Lockwood coming from the Ashley River Bridge, right before the overpass. That thing is like one of those equestrian jumps (what kind of word is ‘equestrian’ anyway?) where the horse,...Read »

Ever wonder why all those odd-shaped boxes are piled up next to the wall on the other side of the checkout stands at your Costco “club” (how come I never see boxes that shape anywhere else)? Well, I finally figured it out; finally saw through the scheme. It’s their way of recycling. Sure, under...Read »

Hey, I’m in favor of a good thing. Especially when it comes to kids. After all, their potential—regardless of their roots—is unlimited. So, is it just me, or am I the only one wondering where the millions (billions?) generated by the educational lottery has gone? Certainly not into the schools. I mean, whose education,...Read »

My dear Hattie, how I love her. I came home one day last week and noticed that, after all these years, she had backed her car the entire way up our narrow driveway so as to be facing out. She’s not a particularly good driver, and I smiled. But same thing the next day...Read »

Let’s see. A bottle of wine costs me and the girls seven dollars. Which means the café we like probably gets it for about four dollars. But then they turn around and list it on their menu for $28 (yes, marked up seven times). Or $6 a glass—and usually a suspiciously small ‘glass’. Ever...Read »

IF YOU DON’T KNOW about this, you should. And you should tell any friends you know who are ‘idea’ minded. Curiously, you may not have heard anything about it simply because the information is hidden deep inside the Charleston Chamber of Commerce web site. Regardless, this is a fantastic opportunity for someone (5 winners...Read »

As you can imagine, I’ve been inundated with emails about Hattie’s AT&T rant. (For some reason no one’s telling her.) Anyway, based on ideas that have come in so far, here’s what I think AT&T should do. First, acknowledge that there are two problems: service and customer service. The first problem is… well, have...Read »

I sort of understand the person who checks my card when I enter Costco. After all, it’s a club. Before you step into the big barn (ever notice that smell in there?) they have to be sure it’s you. Never mind that I always use my sister’s card. Anyway, what I don’t get is...Read »

THEY CALL THEMSELVES the new AT&T. But what they don’t tell you is that it stands for Aggravating, Terrible, & Tedious. Aggravating because of the trouble it takes to get service from them. Terrible because of the quality of service you finally do get, and tedious because of the way you are treated by...Read »

I DIDN’T ATTEND WOODSTOCK—I was in ROTC summer camp at Ft. Bragg. But there was a time in my life when I considered myself a citizen of the Woodstock Nation. Recently, looking over my faded and dog-eared copy of one of the Whole Earth Catalog editions that came out in the late sixties and...Read »

AS I WALK down the lane of life it seems that more and more people and things are crowding me. I don’t like crowds. Recently I did a favor for a friend and picked up a few grocery items for another friend. It cost me $13, for which the recipient immediately wrote a check....Read »

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It is with life as it is with art: the deeper one penetrates, the broader the view.
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Friday, October 204:30 to 6:30 • 3 Lockwood Drive
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Owner Debbie Marlowe is Charleston’s best wine guru, with more than 25 years of experience in the world of wine wholesale and retail. No one is more talented at pairing wine and food for small or large events.

THE BACH SOCIETY OF CHARLESTON is honoring Claudio Monteverdi’s 450th anniversary in its September 24, 3:00 p.m. program.

Monteverdi is recognized by music historians and theorists as one of our “great” composers. Though born in 1567 and composing during the Renaissance, his harmonic progressions reveal a strong sense of modern tonality. He is considered the father of modern opera and he was skillful in combining instruments and voices.

Monteverdi served for 22 years as viol player and madrigal singer for the Duke of Mantua, all the while composing books of madrigals and his first opera, Orfeo. Following the Duke’s death he was chosen maestro de cappella of San Marco, Venice, where he remained for the last 30 years of his life.

Ricard Bordas, Bach Society Artistic Director, has chosen a program that will include selections from two of Monteverdi’s most representative collections of sacred and secular repertoire, the Selva Morale e Spiritulale and the Book 8 of Madrigals of War and Love.

The program will include the motet “Beatus Vir,” the madrigal “Hor Che’ Ciel e la Terra” with lyrics by the poet Francesco Petrarca, and the gorgeous lament “Lamento della Ninfa.”